A Pirate's Life for Me

Mission:

Sand.

Practically nothing but grainy sand. Sand to the west, sand to the east. Sand to the north until it was cut off by the aqua blue sea, and sand to the south where the light brown miniscule molecules of earth would be met with a boardwalk. Sand dunes and sand castles, different forms made from it in either a natural or man-made fashion respectively. Sand beneath the initial top layer over it crawling down to the ocean floor, and sand even above on people’s towels. Sand where sand should be, then there’s sand where the sun don’t shine.

Nothing more or nothing less would be expected from a weekly break to the beach. It was summertime after all! A time to relax, kick back, and have some fun. This is exactly what Hiroki would decide on doing at this time. A break from the normal day to day activities, duties, and missions that had to be completed. No chaos, nor worry for things having to go too orderly. The sun was out shining it’s beautiful, beaming rays down upon the land below it, where the light would be reflected off of the water’s surface. It would also be reflected upon the 3 interconnected handheld panes of mirrored surfaces. Roki needed to catch some of these rays as well, so to ensure of it, he’d be using this helpful device. Normally, this was near impossible to do in Kumogakure given the fact that the sun just didn’t seem to shine as perfectly as it needed to in order to get a good tan off of it. So, there was a certain amount of gratitude to be expressed for getting this amazing opportunity.

All was going well so far. The week up to this point had been rather uneventful, which was quite odd in all honesty. Nothing major had went down. With this also prevented the confusing thought of if this was a good thing or a bad thing? Had this just simply have been what it was? Purely nothing, and it was just speculation upon thinking about it? A baseless claim so to speak. Or was there some manner of substance behind the introspective inquiry? Was this quiet period of time just the calm before the storm? It was up in the air about how this primary issue would resolve, and whichever way the coin would so happen to land, the spritely Chunin would be ready and expecting for whatever may come his way.

The was just one of the many wondrous things about the Shimadan teen; his ability to brace for anything and to truly go with the flow. Much like the rolling, roiling tides at sea. While some may have been rough and packed to the brim with situations of dire turmoil; the tides of chaos as some would say. These waves, unpredictable by the very design. Meant to throw a surfer off guard, and catch them by the tail. There was however, their foil. Waves which moved smoothly across the ocean to it’s sandy shores. The waves which would carry an injured surfer to shore, or to boost their momentum while doing their thing. A oftentimes predictable wave, which leaned towards the side of order and law. Even within the regular ebb and flow of nature’s numerous and inevitable actions, there remained the seen juxtapositioning of opposites, which in the end just attract to one another. Forming the necessary idea of equilibrium.

As this thought process came to be, something had also changed within the environment. No longer was there only the sound of joyous laughter and the caw of seagulls within the distant skies. The air was now instead being filled with it’s own contrasting versions. An inverted version. The sound of people screaming, coming from the beach not entirely far off from where Roki had set up his little spot for rest and relaxation. But it would look as if the time for that was unfortunately over. Head still lying back against the sand, it would tilt to the left to gaze over to what all the commotion was about. There was a ship that must’ve docked while Hiroki had been daydreaming. A ship with black sails, and a white skull and crossbones in the center of it, waving high upon the mast.

Pirates!?

His blue eyes would then peer along the coastline, also noticing a group of about 20 or so people, all seeming to be ordinary civilians, being brought at sword point into a giant sandcastle that had just been formed by one of the 20ish scurvy dogs. This one in particular had seemed to be the leader of this band of sea loving scoundrels, their garb was drastically different from that of the rest. It was much more refined and elegant; well as elegant as one could be in a buccaneer’s uniform. His coat had appeared to be much more decorated than the rest of the crew’s as well as little embellishments along the big tricorn resting atop the head of dirty blond hair. A giant, and absolutely breathtaking peacock feather was also seen being used as a touch to finish off this accessory, being tucked neatly into the side of the hat where it would jet out the back. All of the clothes were emblazoned with the same colored threads as the feather, primarily green and purple tones which made up the majority of the outfit; accented with blue shades here and there. Definitely someone who had access to earth release, and most likely some form of sand manipulation too, seeing as they were able to build, what is basically a fortress, out of the tiny grains which littered the beach.

As for the rest of the crew, they were dressed in the more typical clothes that would be seen worn by marauders such as themselves. Black leather boots that would be cuffed along the top, it’s slick interior lining the same as it’s exterior. Neutral shades for their topcoats and undershirts, as well as matching tones for their pants. Most of them wore some kind of headcovering, whether it was small tricorns of all different shapes, or silk cloths that were being used like bandanas. There were 3 out of this larger group that appeared to be of a higher rank then the others; using the same logic to determine this as it was determined for the captain. The trio wore slightly different uniforms than the rest, not as marvelous as the captain’s, but a lot less garnished with holes and tears compared to the crew. Each one also was decorated with a certain color somewhere throughout what they had on; the colors being the same 3 as seen on the leader. One wore a dark purple undershirt, another had a coat that had green, poofy sleeves, and the last had on a turquoise colored pair of breeches.

Then there was the group of hostages. These people were just like Hiroki, all they were trying to do was to have a nice time spent at the beach. There were people of all ages and genders mixed in with the lot. Most obviously were still in their bathing suits, but there were a few who had must’ve been about to leave for they were seen in what would be considered attire more suited for the boardwalk. Either way, from how things were moving along, it seemed as if the thieves of the ocean were taking in anyone who just so happened to be in that area at the current time. Regardless of whether or not they were a woman or child, they all were nabbed by this dastardly bunch of miscreants. After a minute, they would all have been seen entering the newly formed structure. No one else must have noticed this, or if they did were just too scared to try and rescue them, for no one was seen going after the lot. So, it looked like Hiroki’s fun day would be unfortunately interrupted as the siren song of duty had allured him in with it's melodious harmonies.

Seeing that these good citizens were now in need of help to escape the clutches of their captors, the Kumo shinobi would find it to be his duty to rescue them. He’d promptly rise from where he had been sunbathing previously, grabbing his katana that lie on the right hand side of his body. Armor would be out of the question though. One, it was way too hot out to be wearing something thick like the ronin robes in which he normally had worn. And secondly, who wore armor to the beach? With that being said, who brings a sword to the beach? But, it was never a bad thing to be at least somewhat prepared, but unluckily the 18 year old wouldn’t have been able to say he’d have been 100 percent ready for this fight due to the handicap of being only in a black and white bathing suit. The sides of the trunks were the different neutral colors compared to the sides of his hair; while the left hand side of trunks were a deep, obsidian black tone, the left hand side of his hair was a bleached, platinum white. The same could then be said vice versa, just switching the two around.

After getting in this standing position, he’d then promptly begin to close the 50 meter gap to get to the castle made out of sand. From all the heat, blaring down from the great ball of fire which gave light to the solar system, the air and land around him would have a wavy quality to it. Not in a hallucination or genjutsu kind of way, but a natural effect from the aforementioned cause. A simple and trifling matter which didn’t really have any dictation on the event at large, except for the sole purpose of hammering home just how damn hot it was outside. Sweat could be felt, running down the sides of Hiroki’s face until the droplets would fall from the jawline, plummeting towards the ground in a rush. Each step required a more tense exertion of energy; sand wasn’t exactly the ideal terrain to have to hurry around on. Trudging through it all like a heavy muck, the foot would go down for a step, but then start to sink underneath it’s own weight. A heavy burden, but an easy obstacle to overcome. It wasn’t something that wouldn’t completely tax his vigor, but by the time he had reached the destination it could definitely be felt within his bones.

Now up close and personal with the castle, positioned on the left hand side of it, the piece of architecture was even more intricate and detailed than what was originally imagined. Each corner of the square, earthen building appeared to be a relatively decent sized room from with what could be discerned on the outside looking in. They were all interconnected to either room adjacent to it by a hallway, with the sole exception that there was no connection to the room that would be adjacent on it’s diagonal axis. The corner rooms spanned upwards to about 25 or so meters, where it would be met by a spiraling spire, an ident curving upwards along the sides of the conical rooves. Along the walls were inlaid designs which had an overall desert kind of theme about them. Perhaps these individuals had hailed from Suna? Roki did hear rumors about them having an advanced element which allowed the control over sand, so it would make some sense to the matter. The engraving weren’t exactly like that of hieroglyphs or pictographs of the sort, but the general design of them would suggest that it was, at the very least, inspired by iconography similar to the sorts. These then would span the entirety of each wall, essentially as small strips creating the illusion of a pattern blocking deign. In between these strips, the walls would merely appear to be hardened sand; but still standing high in it’s illustrious glory and revelry.

Peaking in between each 20 meter tall, 30 meter long blockade, was a fifth a final tower-esque building. It stood about 10 meters in total above that of the walls, only 5 meters total from the spires themselves, except this one didn’t have that latter addition tacked onto it. It was all, one big uniformed rectangle formation, with one of it’s square faces being flat upon the ground, the other reaching out in the opposite direction towards the sunny skies above. Presumably this particular one would be used for one of two potential things. Either this central building was where the cutthroats had taken their group of prisoners too, or it was where the captain could possibly be found. What wasn’t seen though, was how to get access to that spot though. Presumably, there would be some hallway or something along the backside leading to it, or possibly a courtyard of sorts. Maybe there was even only a path to take higher up, because judging from it’s size there was an enormous possibility that the fortress was 2 separate levels.

Through the air, came the sound of incoming people from the inside of it. Their voices could be heard moving towards where there was an opening right out front, that was about 5 meters in height. This was the entrance to the sand castle, and the dialogue which could be heard from the people heading there was ”Ayyyy, you two. Mind the door, ‘r it’ll be you’ll who’ll swing from the masts. Only let in any landlubber offering the 1 million ryo to free these landlubbers.” And then, the female voice would stop it’s speech for a minute or two. Whoever was with her didn’t respond, or made one that hadn’t have been heard from where the salt and peppered haired lad was standing. Then, practically shouting these next words, her voice would say ”Well what’re you two standing around fore’! Get ta work, ya blast handed cockroaches!” After this was said, two voices had chimed in with their voices sounding relatively frightened, both masculine in terms of their pitch with deeper voices ”Ay, ay, leftenant ma’am!” And the sound of a maniacal laugh could be heard, while the trudging pace of footsteps began to wonder off towards the right side of the place.

Now, there was a handful of options in which Hiroki could go about trying to do this, each way would bring about some different form of the butterfly effect; the linear path dictated by one’s own life choices trickling into other ones. Each one also offering a plentiful bounty of perks and downsides. One way, an extremely chaotic way, could be to blow the whole place away. Within his repertoire of ninjutsu techniques, lay a few water elemental based ones with massive potential to wipe out anything like this, and given that this was made from an advanced element and not a basic one, there was the given fact that there’d be no need to worry about any sort of disadvantage to the two clashing with one another thankfully. It would also take out the pirates, killing two birds with one stone. In that same breath though, it would also wash away those being held captive. So not exactly the best choice for what needed to be done here.

There was the option which the lad had deemed as the “Leroooooy Jeeenkins” method, which involved just an absolute bum rush on the place. A one man siege to take over the hold. This way would be a bit safer than that of the previous one thought about. There was less of a potential for the civilians inside to get caught up within the combat if this would be the route that was chosen, so there was that positive outlook upon it. It also had the advantage of unpredictability. Something which he tended to favor for it could hold massive leverage over the flow of combat. It’s worked in the past where it’s been able to completely outsmart an enemy. Though, for each head of the hydra which was cut off, two more would arrive in it’s place. In this case, the metaphorical hydra heads were being used to describe the disadvantages to this potential means of being the hero. First and foremost, it would be a loud approach. Certainly, it would become clear that the place would be under attack and any covert means of operations would be most likely eliminated further from the calculated equation. Going off of what was said before, this then could in theory mean that since the scoundrels would know of this, they could just outright kill those taken and swarm the would-be rescuer like bees to honey, or pirates to booty in this case. While this way was feasible and overall what most people would probably do, it still was majorly flawed.

Which lead to the third potential way. The sneaky way. The true way for most ninja throughout the world. Sneakiness and deception. And in this thought process alone, there was an even larger amount of ways in which it could actually be done. Had he really wanted to, Hiroki could’ve probably just scaled the side of the building using the surface walking technique if possible, reach the rooftops, quickly pop in quietly, find them, and get out. Granted that way had it’s individual problems as well. How would the captives escape themselves? What if he got caught in the act? What if they weren’t all in one place? All of this made him wonder, what if physicality such as that wasn’t how to go about the majority of doing this? The means, could still lie within the sweetness of subtlety, but using it from a different perspective? Instead of trying to sneak around, why not just fight fire with fire, and use alternative means of deception instead.

And so, the vision on what to do had been fully concocted within his mind. Young Hiroki, being decent when it came down to it, had planned to simply lure one of the guards at the door over to where he was, and nick their clothes; using it as a disguise to be able to enter into the area. From there, well, he didn’t really know just how about he’d go freeing them. But, that bridge would be burned when the time would come for it to all come crashing down. For now, there was still the matter at hand of actually getting just one of the two men standing watch to come over and take his outfit for the disguise itself. Hopefully, they were as weak as they seemed.

Getting as low to the ground as possible, the guy who was about to make his best attempt at saving the group of 20 people in distress would peak out around the corner of the tower to get a glimpse at the guards. They seemed to be just a part of the regular crew, and luckily enough, the one that was closer to his side was wearing one of the silk scarves around his head. The most notable feature on Hiroki would be able to be fully covered if this was the one who’d manage to walk over. Crossing his fingers that this would work out in his favor, the Chunin would slide his body back behind full cover. It was now time to get this operation underway.

Making sure that he was fully ready for what was to come, once prepared, the shinobi would whistle from behind the corner. The shrill pitch ringing out somewhat loud. Just loud enough to only be heard by the ones standing out front. One of the men would speak up because of this ”Oi, ya hear that lad? Sounds like we’ve got company.” His voice being spoken as if he was a little bit on edge. A mix of a small bout of anxiety, walking hand in hand with an even shorter bout of the same frightened tone as earlier. The other would then answer, his response being ”Arrrr, it sounds like it. Go check it out, I’ll mind the door.” Hearing this, the youthful Shimadan would quietly proceed to walk backwards a few paces to give an extra element of surprise when the man would round the corner. Feet falling, colliding with the sand underneath would start to move in tandem with the youngin’s own light footsteps. While this would be going on, Hiroki would be simultaneously forming a whip from water that he had produced from his mouth. It was done in a manner that didn’t require the use of handseals due to the amount of time utilized to perfect the technique. It was also done in a way to suppress the sound of the chakra fueled liquid being spewed forth.

By the time the sea-faring rogue had gotten to the corner and rounded it, the water whip would be fully formed. And there would be Hiroki, carefully and patiently, lying in wait for the exact moment to happen. Thankfully, the guard which had decided to do the investigating of the noise was the one that he had hoped for. As the man would come yonder round the bend, his head would turn to meet that of the ninja’s own face now standing about 3 meters back. Before a word could escape the guy’s lips, the whip would lash out, maneuvering itself around his neck, and pulling back towards the ninjutsu specialist. With wide eyes, the guard would then be met with Hiroki’s katana which was being physically wielded by the lad. One giant pull was all it took for the sorry sap to be pulled onto the blade, it’s cold steel piercing through the flesh of his stomach and out through the back. Pulling him in tight, the prankster would speak in his ears, very hushed like, nothing louder than a whisper. ”So sorry about this, but I’ll be needing your clothes to invade this place now.” There was a hint of obvious sarcasm laced into the first portion of what was being said. There wasn’t really any remorse for the dude who helped take in all the hostages, nor should there have been for anyone who would commit a crime such as this.

Once the deed had been done, Roki would go about doing the clothes swap after the now fallen man would collapse to the ground speechless due to the still stranglehold around his larynx from the constricting force of the elemental whip. Not a peep could be heard from him as they just laid there and quietly passed from the mix of blood loss and suffocation. Realizing it a bit now, even after the quick change had been done, the lone wolf had now made the inference that there was still the fact their faces looked entirely different. Coming up with a last second plan, one hand would reach down and place itself upon the bloody wound of the pirate, whilst the other would be reaching down to grab a pile of sand. The first to be applied to his visage would be the crimson colored bodily fluid. He’d take the red, and smear it partially across his face. Then, closing his eyes and placing that same hand over top of them to ensure none got in, the other hand would loosely throw on the sand. It should be enough to at least get into the area with ease hopefully.

Grabbing the corpse by the leg, it would then be pulled back towards the entrance, Roki’s demeanor remaining calm, cool, and collected. He got this. This was light work compared to some of the stuff that he’d done in the past, so there was no need for any nerves. At the same time though, this wasn’t gonna be the easiest thing to do in the world. Certainly no walk in the park. At best, the odds were probably 10 to 1. A risk that would have to be taken in order to get the job done properly. Sauntering his way over, once he’d get there with the body that was now in Hiroki’s swim trunks, he’d speak to the other guard that had been waiting there with his best pirate voice ”Arrr, ahoy matey, found this lost landlubber trying to sneak in. He’s taken care of now though, Imma go take ‘im to the capn. Mind the door while I’m away.” Taking a gander into the other watcher’s eyes, there was a slight bit of disbelief hanging within them. But before anything could be said or suspected, Hiroki would just casually enter into the front of the building.

It was time to burn the bridge.

It was time to find the captain, and the captives.

Walking into the place, the first room was definitely the smallest of the bunch. It stood only about 10 meters on all sides including it’s height; only further going on to deem true the one thought about this castle having a second story. The interior of it was undecorated, only the marking that were on the exterior of the building could be seen along it’s interior as well. But besides that, there were no furnishing or windows, only 3 openings that lead to and from this spot. There was obviously the way that the ninja came from, the 5 meter entrance. Then, on the left and right sides there were two more doorways aligned with the center of the room. The size of them were average, just ordinary door frames with no actual door. Each lead to a hallway which spanned 15 meters until it would reach either corner on it’s left or right respectively, and each hallway was approximately 5 meters wide. No sign of life could be either seen or heard coming from either end, but there was the prior knowledge that the leftenant had gone the opposite way of where Hiroki was originally. So hopefully, following that same starting path would lead him to where he had needed to go.

Going down the hall to the right, body of the pirate still in tow, the Equilibrium release user would reach the room at the end of it. None of the treasure lovers, nor the civilians were seen in this room. Yet it was still different from it’s previous iteration. This one was twice the size of the one at the entrance on all sides, with a small opening to act as a window in the front of it. Sunlight would shine through, and down upon a basin of water which stood at the center point of it. Various crates and boxes labeled ‘Rum’ were also seen scattered throughout. Deciding, why not get into character a tad bit more. And so he did, a bottle of the alcoholic beverages would be procured from an already open crate.

There was only one other way to move further into the life sized sand castle, so that would be the path that the Dragon Slayer would make his way down. This time around, the sound of comradery could be heard from down the hall. Vague glimpses of shadows being cast upon the wall and ground could be made out, maybe about 5 or so. Still no sign of the prisoners, but this was a better start than previously. Making his way down the hall, he’d reach about halfway until noticing that there was a threshold in the center of it; more light was bathing out from the openness of the outside. It had lead to a small, makeshift courtyard. There was about a 10 meter area of open air around the central building, making the total area of the courtyard a 30 meter square shape because of the central tower like construct being 20 meters length and width wise. Another opening was seen on this same side leading into that central portion.

Peering down through the hall, and then back towards the courtyard, Hiroki decided it would be best to check that way out first. Heading out into the courtyard, no one seemed to be around out on this side, but on the other side, a trio of voices could be heard engaging in a conversation betwixt themselves, the details of it rather unimportant nor could each word spoken be clearly made out. However, it was clear that this could be at least utilized as a distraction method. Since they were out of eyesight from the teen, the same could be said then vice versa; the Kumo nin was luckily out of sight from the pirates. Swiftly, he’d then cross the 10 meter gap to ensure he wouldn’t have been seen.

Now inside once more, one of the necessary portions of this case had been solved: the location of those who were nabbed by the lot of pirates. They were currently split up into 5 different groups, with a total of only 4 people being in one cage; and there was also a total of 5 sandy cages. This group of people would look at Roki, fear lingering within their eyes. It made him remember that he was still in the disguise and carrying around a dead body. He’d raise his right index finger while slowly working his way to the left wall where all the cages had been, on the opposing side was a stair case which proceeded to ascend to what was presumably the second floor. Once standing in front of the group, he’d whisper to them ”Don’t worry, I’m here to get y’all out. Do you guys know where the Captain is?” And then almost immediately, some of them would point upwards. A nod would be offered by the Shimadan, before he’d add ”Thank you, don’t worry, I’ll be back for you guys.” His attention would turn over to the stairs.

Quietly maneuvering himself to the base of them, he’d listen closely. People talking once more. Amongst the 4 of them, the female voice from earlier was included in this number. It was more than likely a gathering of the Captain and his officers. So this part would have to be done with extra care and caution. Proceeding on upwards, he’d come up from the steps, making the sound of him coming clear and known to make an attempt at keeping this ruse up for now. Once getting to the top of them, he’d be met with the sight of the 4 previously mentioned pirates all standing around a table with a large piece of parchment stretched out across it. The talking would cease, and the captain would in response cast his gaze in the direction of the disguised ninja. ”Hahah, arr, what’ve we got ‘ere lad! Another blasted prisoner? Throw ‘em in the brig! Good work, la-…wait a second.” And then, the statuesque bronzed man would start to make his way over to Roki and the deceased pirate. The eyes would lower down to what was being carried into the brother’s other hand…the bottle of rum. ”Any o’ my crew know not to take my rum without asking first! So who be ye.” The unnamed captain would ask with his voice starting to grow more menacing.

The two had been only 5 meters apart now before Hiroki would let go of the leg that was being pulled. Without hesitation, he knew he had to take this moment to press an attack. And so, he would. Quick thinking saw that the area of this room was small enough to catch the 4 of them all of guard with one fell swoop. In that same split second, a pulse of electrical energy would radiate of from the Raiju of Lightning Country’s body and move outwards in a 20 meter radius on all sides of him. There wasn’t enough power behind it to destroy the walls of the place, so those who weren’t within the confines of this space didn’t get hit by it. But for those who were unfortunate enough to be in the room at the time had their bodies fried before they could even make a move. Leaving the only one standing being the captain of the crew, in such a state of shock that the leader couldn’t even move a single muscle within his body. Pressing the attack, handseals would now be weaved, and after it’s completion, the crackle of sparks would be seen shrouding Hiroki’s left hand. With a surging lunge forward, the tall dude would be met at the end of a deadly technique known as Raikiri; it had great potential for piercing through any target, and it certainly lived up to it’s potential. Once contact had been made, the hand would be shoved through the stranger’s chest, ensuring that his reign of piratrey had been over as he’d proceed to fall backwards and onto the floor.

With the man who had built this place now dead, there would have to be a rush in order to get out of here, as the place was slowly but surely all beginning to come crashing down. It would start at the top, with bits of sand proceeding to fall downwards and take a bit of a tumble now that there was no more chakra to keep it molded within it’s shape. Swiftly, the hero would rush back down the stairs not even bothering to grab anything from the upper room. The cages had collapsed by the time Hiroki had gotten down there, with the group huddling together as pirates could be heard scrambling around outside wondering what exactly was going on. ”Come on, we don’t have much time!” He’d say, heading out the sole door of the tower while waving at the group for them to follow suit. Instead of going all the way through the now crumbling castle, Roki had maintained the tech used to bring down the big man, and would use it to bust a hole through where he knew that first entry room was. Breaking through it, he'd stand by to ensure that all 20 of the individuals would be able to make it out without any form of issue. Running out behind the last one, all of them would turn around to see it fully come down just as their rescuer had made it out; crushing any of the remaining pirates within.

And so, it was all in a day’s work, and boy oh boy was Hiroki happy to have this over with.

[Thread Exit]

TWC: 5753

Claims:

Mission-
10,000 Ryo
50 AP
1 Pirate Armor Set
Thread Exit

Techs/Skills-
1875 words to Raijin’s Rage, completing it for S Rank w/ 25% max stat discount
3000 words to Pure Sage Mode, completing it for S Rank w/ 25% max stat discount
878 words to Equilibrium Release: Witherbloom, 878/2063 (will be completing with 25% max stat discount)

Approved